District L

Nina Skarra’s F’13 presentation began at promptly mimosa o’clock, with champagne flutes circling the Box for the first showing of the day. Those who accessorized with a demure hangover this morning were favorably informed that Skarra’s collection title, “Frosted Circus,” was not to be taken too literally. Instead, trumpet waists and plunging v-necks in ringleader palettes took center-stage. Skarra’s lioness knits and intricate textures earned an early morning applaud – or rather, the raise of an effervescent glass or two.

Post by Amanda LaMela

Smoke billowed out of the freshly hot-boxed Highline Loft for Highland’s F13 Collection. That conspicuous scent permeated the air, leaving one question in everyone’s mind: “How many models got stoned in the making of this presentation?”

A long-haired DJ spun in the back, eating cereal out of the box and drinking a can of PBR. Lava lamps lined the walls, popcorn and pillows were scattered on the floor, and tables held two bongs in front of the tube television. It looked like what the basement of Travis from Clueless might look like – 90s slacker paraphernalia with a hazy disposition.

Then the models filed in, each more ‘Stoner Casual’ than the next. Soft fleece vests over printed layered tees and knit hats were the uniform du jour. In head bands and long johns, this presentation pushed show production limits that have yet to be matched this season.

Post by Amanda LaMela

Despite yesterday’s early threat of Nemo, I braved the cold and headed to 39^th street for Ann Yee’s penthouse presentation. As guests were teased with the plethora of welcoming knit layers and accessories, models were cozying up to the emerging designer against a snowy, winter backdrop.

She revealed that her inspiration came from Black Mountain College, a now-inactive creative institution that boasted alumni such as Robert DeNiro Sr., Ray Johnson, and Joel Oppenheimer. Three students sat on the floor and live-sketched the presentation from different perspectives, adding a performance art aspect to the presentation. Drawing from the school’s counter-culture philosophy, Yee achieved refined nonchalance in slouchy boucle sweaters and cropped wool jackets. 

Post by Amanda LaMela

A week has passed since NYFW and we’ve been keeping busy with the diversions, parties, and events cleverly scheduled to entice those New Yorkers who hadn’t escaped to Milan:

Chez André: When the André from The Standard (Balazs) and the André from Le Baron (Saraiva) get together, they conceive unstoppable forces of glittering, scandalous nightlife madness. And this time they named it Chez André, a pop-up club under The Standard East. Existing this September only, Baby André slightly resembles Le Baron, yet has the energy of Le Bain circa-2010. Temporarily residing deep beneath Cooper Square is a cornucopia of glitz, graffiti, live music, smoke, and French guys. If only there were a photo booth…

Artist Presentation @Westway: On Wednesday, I headed to Clarkson Street for a presentation by Antonio Santini and six other emerging artists, curated by Arielle Cooper Lethem. In the boozy, backlit haze of Westway, we perused work by Santini, director, writer, and digital artist. And for those who stuck around for the afterparty, art put on its best party hat and got inventive.

PURE DEAD BRILLIANT & Love, Beatrice Showcase and Party: Champagne in hand, we maneuvered the third floor of Norwood last night. Our first stop was to pick up some stripes from LA-based brand Love, Beatrice. Two glasses later, we introduce ourselves to Nora Logan, PURE DEAD BRILLIANT designer and globetrotter. Spending her life in cities like New York, Paris, and Hong Kong, Nora taps her nostalgia with inspiration from travel and music, presenting lyric-stamped rings, cassette necklaces, and Vespa pendants. 

Post by Amanda LaMela

Let’s try a little word association. When I say “book release party,” what is the image that immediately comes to mind?

Is your first thought, “six topless models covered in body glitter, emerging from giant candy bar wrappers and dancing to a two-part drag performance by Joey Arias?” If so, this accurately describes last night’s scene for the release of Antonio Lopez: Fashion, Art, Sex & Disco.

Antonio Lopez, a renowned artist of the 70s and 80s, was known for his erotically-charged fashion illustrations and exhilarating persona. Suitably celebrated with cocktails, candy, and partial nudity, bold-faced names poured into The Prince George Ballroom to acknowledge Antonio’s lifelong industry contributions. With guests like Amanda Lepore, Fran Drescher, Anna Sui, Pat Cleveland, and Cory Kennedy, this was a far cry from your average book party. 

Post by Amanda LaMela

It’s been a while since DL has experienced any textual action, but with just a couple days until New York Fashion Week, I’d say it is time for our post-summer revival. The seasonal boat parties have docked and monochromatic-black has returned to the front our closets.

We aren’t the only ones revisiting our origins. Take a flip through any Bible-sized September issue and you’ll see authentic homecomings – Louis Vuitton returns to its subtly monogrammed traveler looks, while Dolce & Gabbana takes it back to the streets of Sicily.

It is time for us to buckle down, button up, and zip into what feels like a momentous season. We have a lot planned for the upcoming Fashion Week – and we promise these fast-typing, manicured fingers will deliver.

Post by Amanda LaMela

On Day 4 of NYFW, I headed downtown to Gavin Brown for Daryl K, the Dublin-born/Manhattan-rooted designer celebrating 20 years in New York’s fashion industry. Opening with drums and Kusmi Tea, the exclusive showing attracted a stylish crowd of devotees decked out in the label’s sleek slashneck throws and chic leather leggings – despite the unseasonable heat.

With runway sounds exclusively percussive, models matched their aural surroundings in looks that reflected both minimalism and spontaneity. Splash prints were paired with neutral colorblocking, black shift dresses, and sheer overlays. In breezy silhouettes that were both relaxed and metropolitan, models could not fight the urge to dance. Arabesques and pas jetés exhibited the movement and spirit of Daryl K’s anniversary show, an undisputed Sunday success.

Despite a crowd of angry protesters, guests filed in for yesterday’s relocated GULI show at Cipriani 42nd Street. Little did the activists know, this forced location change was a perfect fit for GULI’s rich SS12 showing. Opulent and romantically pharaohic, Gulnara’s spellbinding collection drew influences from Middle Eastern and Asian cultures.

Post by Amanda LaMela

On the seventh day of Fashion Week, we headed over to Lincoln Center to celebrate 40 years of Allegri with a cocktail party, display, and model presentation. Under an artful arrangement of umbrellas, Allegri injected their Italian heritage into a memorable event for guests and industry insiders. Check out the video recap they sent us below:

In typical District L style, we'd perhaps open this post with a clever paragraph wherein we reminisce fondly about last week - what with all the rushing too and fro between venues, furious, finger-callusing live-tweeting, and countless moments of anticipation as the plastic was peeled back from the runway time and time again. We might even throw in an alcohol-related pun, hurl a barb at the sucky realities of returning to the daily grind, and spit some vitriol about people on the subway.

But the fact of the matter is that it's 10 PM on a Tuesday and we'd rather just jump straight to the LaPointe (sorry, had to) - here are our top 5 picks for best collections from NYFW A/W 2011:

1. Sally LaPointe

This one should come as no surprise - ever since attending the plucky designer's debut show last September, we've been staunch supporters of LaPointe's dark, alien aesthetic that resonates as simultaneously precise and effortless. Did her Fall collection climb straight out of the primordial ooze of a Roland Flexner print? Or did it reverse sublimate from thin air to monolithic vibrancy?

2. Bensoni

Gothic wedding vignette? How rad was that? The duo behind Bensoni is all about balance, taking inspiration from the past yet tempering it with forward thinking. Needless to say, they didn't disappoint for Fall. There was a hefty dose of 90's gloom and doom in their presentation this season, but taken to the next level with an infusion of minute detail and texture play that has become a contemporary design mainstay.

3. Mik Cire

Mik Cire's Eric Kim is an accomplished design professional, and his collection this season made that fact more evident than ever. Last Spring, Kim gave us slouchy asymmetricality in linen and jersey; this Fall, he presented crisp, sharp tailoring in leather and gabardine. A quality that we value most in a designer is something Kim possesses in spades - the ability to surprise and deliver the unexpected without allowing their trademark sensibilities to become lost.

4. Maisonette 1977

Designer Jane Ibrahim stirred something far down inside of us with her evocative Fall line for Maisonette 1977. Taking inspiration from Christopher Nolan's "Inception", she served as the architect behind a towering metropolis rising out of the ether of the subconscious. It was well-edited, modern, and to be quite honest it just had a certain je ne sais quoi about it that drew us in deeper, deeper, and deeper still.

5. NOMIA

Like Bensoni, NOMIA was another delightfully intimate affair in the Standard's Highline Room - a perfect setting for an enticing collection of sleek, geometric sportswear that can easily find a home in any closet (or bedroom floor, whatever). We have to give praise to lines like NOMIA that strike rest firmly in that hard-to-hit intersection of concept and accessibility. Like Madisen said, "[The Standard's] attuned blend of nature, urbanity, and notorious exhibitionism matched perfectly with the theme of NOMIA’s runway."

Post by Nicolas Sera-Leyva